Huber Heights Mayor has contract days suspended with school district after absence

by Gabi Warwick

Friday, December 7th 2018

(WKEF/WRGT)

HUBER HEIGHTS, Ohio (WKEF/WRGT) - Huber Heights Mayor Jeff Gore, who also teaches English in the school district, has had contract days suspended due to an absence in November.

Gore had 6 days suspended and his wife had 4 after they used sick days to take a leave from the district so they could go to California for a summit.

He told ABC 22/FOX 45 that his wife had gone to the principal in September to tell them that they would be gone to the city conference, and he reportedly said that it would be okay as long as they had their work done. So, before the trip. they both put in their absence through the school's system, with him submitting that he would take 6 sick days for the trip and she would use 4, along with two personal days.

"It is a common practice in the district, and really all over, where sick days and personal days are all used interchangeably," he said. "Teachers do that all the time."

"It was never an issue," Gore continued. "They knew a month in advance that we were leaving. No one ever said a word to us that, 'Hey, you can't do that. You need to request unpaid leave'."

On Thursday night, the board voted to suspend them each for the set number of contract days, which really means that they get the sick days back and the status will be changed to unpaid leave. Gore said that it was necessary because anything unpaid is a change in the contract, so the written language is 'suspension of contract days', but neither one will actually be suspended from work.